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It's important to take care of your mental and emotional health all year round, but especially important in these times of uncertainty. There is support out there for you and you are not alone. Lots of people will struggle to cope at one point or another and emotions will change during this time.

Below is a list of online support and apps from various organisations and charities if and when you need support. You can also download a sheet with all below information here.

What to do if you need urgent mental health support:

In a life threatening emergency, always call 999

If you need urgent mental health support in Hampshire, contact NHS 111, as we have a dedicated mental health triage team co-located in the NHS 111/999 service across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight supporting people presenting with mental health symptoms. The team are working hard behind the scenes to reduce waiting times for people who mental health need support at this busy time. As well as providing people with mental health support/interventions so they can stay at home and self-care.

Enhanced web-based mental health support is now available on the online 111 service, via 111.nhs.uk

A new mental health rapid response service has been launched. Calls triaged through the 111 or 999 service are routed to the rapid response teams as required, which consist of paramedics and mental health nurses in special vehicles. The service is designed to provide a fast and effective response to emergency situations where a person is in mental health crisis. Clinicians have access to all the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to carry out face-to-face care with patients with COVID-19 symptoms, if necessary.

The Lighthouse safe haven in Southampton is now operating a virtual service in partnership between Southern Health and Solent Mind. For Southampton residents, simply text LIGHTHOUSE and your postcode to 07451 276010 between 4.30pm and 12am to access the service.

PositiveMinds offers support to anyone in Portsmouth facing struggles with their mental or emotional health. The service is a partnership between Solent NHS Trust, NHS Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Portsmouth City Council, and Solent Mind. Our trained Wellbeing Advisors can offer support by calling 023 9282 4795.

For people already using community mental health services, please continue to contact your care team in the usual way. It may be that you will receive routine care over the phone or via video-link rather than face-to-face.

There are also lots of help and support available nationally. Take a look below for a few examples:

An app providing a wide range of information and tools to help people to stay safe in a crisis. It includes the option to create a crisis plan and information about what to do if you are concerned about someone else who may be thinking about suicide

Offering a range of mental health advice, information and guidance about a range of topics, including anxiety, depression, sleep and stress. You can also take their quiz to get your free plan, designed to help you feel more in control.

A charity dedicated to preventing suicide by offering support and resources to young people and their families. If you are under 35 you can call their HopelineUK on 0800 068 4141 from 9am to 10pm weekdays and 2pm to 10pm on weekends.

A charity dedicated to promoting positive mental health in teenagers and their families through online resources and education.

Every Life Matters

Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS mental health providers in England. In 2019, we developed a suicide and self-harm prevention campaign to support people throughout the country who feel unable to cope and for those who may be worried about someone else.